ChangemakerXchangeFellowship

China x Europe Social Innovators Fellowship

Nov 09, 2026 21:59:00 UTC

Opportunity type

Fellowship

Funding

Partially Funded

Location

Global

Deadline

Nov 09, 2026 21:59:00 UTC

About this opportunity

ChangemakerXchange, a global network of social innovators based in Berlin, is bringing together 20 young changemakers, ten based in China and ten based in Europe, who already run practical solutions to social or environmental problems. Over a year from March 2027 they get tailored support for their work, a six-day summit in Berlin, seed funding for joint projects and lifelong membership of the network. The programme is funded by Stiftung Mercator.

What you get:

Tailored capacity building after an individual needs assessment, in areas such as partnerships, fundraising, business modelling, impact measurement, legal questions and burnout prevention
A six-day in-person summit in Berlin, 2 to 8 May 2027, with accommodation, meals and local transport covered
Access to seed funding for cross-border collaboration or co-learning projects with the cohort, from June 2027
Introductions to partners, experts and events, and lifelong membership of the ChangemakerXchange community of nearly 1,600 changemakers
Visa support letters and documents, and a possible partial or full travel stipend if you cannot afford the trip

What you'll do:

Join a two-hour online kick-off call in mid March 2027
Work through a needs assessment and tailored support from March 2027
Attend the full Berlin summit, arriving 2 May and leaving 8 May 2027
Take part in three 90-minute online check-in calls and a wrap-up session in early 2028
Optionally build a joint project with other participants using collaboration funding

Key dates:

Applications open 13 October 2026
Applications close 9 November 2026 at 23:59 UTC+2
Online interviews for shortlisted candidates, 20 November to 4 December 2026
Final outcome notified 18 December 2026
Kick-off call mid March 2027
Berlin summit 2 to 8 May 2027
Programme runs March 2027 to March 2028

More information:

Full eligibility rules, costs and selection process are in the FAQ on the programme page
The application form links a document with every question so you can draft answers first
The programme runs in English; applicants based in China can get support in Mandarin during application

Who can apply

Aged 18 to 35; exceptions are possible up to age 40
Live, work and create impact in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, or one of the listed European countries: Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
Founder, co-founder or leader of an initiative or organisation that is already running and has tangible results; people nominated by their team to represent it are also welcome
Not open to other employees or volunteers of an initiative; usually one person per initiative is selected
Good working English; selection is based on the quality of the work, not on fluency
Must commit to every part of the programme, including the full Berlin summit
Participants pay their own travel to Berlin, visa fees and travel insurance

AI Verification

✓ AI Verified

Our AI read the official sources and cross-checked the key facts. Here is what held up, and what it could not confirm.

We could not fully verify this organization or all of its details. Check it independently on the official website before you apply, and never share sensitive personal or financial information until you are sure a request is genuine.

LOT Verification ScoreSolid

Cross-checked 15 of 16 key facts

Confirmed Our best read Not stated

Good to know

+Established global network (nearly 1,600 changemakers from 140 countries) funded for this programme by Stiftung Mercator
+Full timeline, costs and selection process published openly in an FAQ
+No application fee; application form asks for no payment
+Accommodation, meals, local transport and the whole programme covered; visa letters provided; need-based travel stipend possible

Worth checking yourself

!Not fully funded: participants pay travel to Berlin, visa fees, travel insurance and any extra nights; a stipend is only considered if you say in the application that you cannot afford the trip
!Closing time is 23:59 UTC+2 on 9 November, which is 22:59 in Berlin and 05:59 on 10 November in Beijing; only the application form states the time
!Who can apply: mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and 34 named European countries. The page text says 'a country in Europe', but the list leaves out Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Malta, the United Kingdom and Ukraine among others; the form takes other countries only case by case
!The organisation's own pages disagree on interview timing: the timeline says 20 November to 4 December 2026, the FAQ says three weeks in January 2027
!Must be beyond the idea stage and in a leadership role; employees and volunteers of an initiative cannot apply
!The collaboration seed funding is a shared cohort budget with no published amount
!Programme dates after selection are marked tentative
!The application form discloses that an AI agent helps check eligibility; content is reviewed by the team

Sources checked

CHchangemakerxchange.orgApplyCHchangemakerxchange.orgApplyCXcxcforms.typeform.comOfficialCXcxcforms.typeform.comOfficial

LOT finds and checks opportunities from public sources. Always confirm details on the organiser’s own page before applying.